A presentation of the latest book by Cuban historian Rafael Rojas, where he brings to light how censorship in the modern era has been a control mechanism to exclude communities of knowledge. The theory and history of censorship purports that the act of censoring is an exercise of power, which imposes a pre-established truth. In a country like Cuba, ruled by a single communist party and a patent stalinization of society and its economy, censorship has become systematic out of habit and necessity. The essays in this volume delineate the trajectory of censorship on the Island throughout the last six decades.
The presentation will be followed by a dialogue with the author, with commentary by Cuban writer Carlos Manuel Álvarez.
This event is part of our CreateNYC Language Access Series on Cuban History, Art, and Literature. It will be held in Spanish.
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
Institute of Latin American Studies
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS BUILDING
420 West 118th St. @ Amsterdam Ave., NYC
Conference Room 802
SPACE IS LIMITED
FREE ADMISSION
RSVP/REGISTER at: https://shorturl.at/vGRTZ
For additional details, write to: info@cubanculturalcenter.org
Rafael Rojas is a Cuban historian and essayist. He holds a Master in Philosophy from the University of Havana and a Ph.D. in History from El Colegio de México. He is a regular contributor to the journal Letras Libres and the newspaper El País, and is a member of the editorial board of the journal Istor of the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE). He is the author of numerous books, among them: Un banquete canónico (2000), Revolución, disidencias y exilio intelectual cubano (2006), and La vanguardia peregrina. El escritor cubano, la tradición y el exilio (2013). Since July 2019 he occupies chair number 11 at the Academia Mexicana de la Historia.
Carlos Manuel Álvarez was born in Matanzas, Cuba and studied journalism at the University of Havana. In 2016, he co-
founded the online magazine
El Estornudo. He has published journalistic and opinion pieces in the New York Times, BBC and Al Jazeera, among other outlets. He won the 2013 Calendario Prize for his collection of short stories La tarde de los sucesos definitivos. In 2017, he published La tribu. Retratos de Cuba, a collection of essays on Cuba. In 2016 he was named as one of the 20 best Latin American writers at the Guadalajara Book Fair. In 2020 he was arrested by the police in Havana, for reasons believed to be related to his journalistic activities and his participation in the San Isidro Movement.
This event is presented in association with the Institute of Latin American Studies (ILAS) and the Greater Caribbean Studies Center of Columbia University.
And is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
With the promotional collaboration of
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